Iowa football fans throw confetti in the air before entering Kinnick Stadium to see the Hawkeyes battle Illinois State in the season opener on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2015, at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa.
Bryon Houlgrave/The Register

Iowa senior running back Jordan Canzeri celebrates after scoring a touchdown in the second quarter against Illinois State on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2015, at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa.
Bryon Houlgrave/The Register

Iowa junior quarterback CJ Beathard leads his offense off the field after directing a scoring drive against Illinois State on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2015, at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa.
Bryon Houlgrave/The Register

Iowa senior kicker Marshall Koehn kicks a field goal with seconds left in the first half to help Iowa extend its lead on Illinois State on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2015, at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa.
Bryon Houlgrave/The Register

Iowa's Jordan Lomax, left, and Desmond King get called for pass interference on a pass intended for Illinois State's Michael Clements during their game at Kinnick Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2015.
David Scrivner / Iowa City Press-Citizen

Iowa's Jordan Lomax, left, and Greg Mabin celebrate a stop on third down during their game against Illinois State at Kinnick Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2015.
David Scrivner / Iowa City Press-Citizen

Iowa running back Jordan Canzeri runs down the field for a 51-yard completion during the Hawkeyes' game against Illinois State at Kinnick Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2015.
David Scrivner / Iowa City Press-Citizen

Iowa's Marshall Koehn, from left, Dillon Kidd and Sean Draper cool off prior to their game against Illinois State at Kinnick Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2015.
David Scrivner / Iowa City Press-Citizen

Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz congratulates players after Matt VandeBerg's touchdown during their game against Illinois State at Kinnick Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2015.
David Scrivner / Iowa City Press-Citizen

Iowa running back Derrick Mitchell, Jr. celebrates Matt VandeBerg's touchdown during their game against Illinois State at Kinnick Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2015.
David Scrivner / Iowa City Press-Citizen

Iowa wide receiver Matt VandeBerg, right, celebrates his touchdown with running back Jordan Canzeri during their game against Illinois State at Kinnick Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2015.
David Scrivner / Iowa City Press-Citizen

Here we go, another trophy game. The Cy-Hawk rivalry returns Saturday at Jack Trice Stadium, and Iowa wants to reverse two trends.

First, Iowa State has won three of the last four meetings. And second, Iowa went 0-4 in trophy games last season after losing to the Cyclones, Minnesota (Floyd of Rosedale), Wisconsin (Heartland) and Nebraska (Heroes Game).

Iowa played a complete game in last week’s 31-14, season-opening victory against Illinois State. The offense moved the ball on the ground and through the air, and the first-team defense pitched a shutout, even keeping the Redbirds out of the red zone.

Iowa State provides an opportunity to show that a promising start has legs.

Are the “Bullies of the Big Ten’ back?

Iowa’s running game never found consistency last season, so the opener was encouraging. The Hawkeyes averaged 4.8 yards a carry. The last time Iowa came close to averaging that for a season was 2008 (4.76).

The one-two punch of LeShun Daniels and Jordan Canzeri, who also had a team-high 90 receiving yards, will be in the gameplan at Iowa State. The offensive line passed its first test, allowing no sacks. Now, it will try to protect quarterback C.J. Beathard against an Iowa State defense that recorded six sacks against Northern Iowa.

One reason the running game was effective was the return (and blocking) of fullbacks Macon Plewa, injured most of last season, and Adam Cox, who missed last season with a knee injury.

The Cyclones’ pass catchers have been hyped all offseason. Iowa’s secondary, on paper, is a team strength. This will be an area worth watching Saturday.

Iowa State quarterback Sam Richardson completed throws to seven different receivers in the opener. Quenton Bundrage had a team-high five receptions. He had seven catches for 146 yards and three touchdowns when Iowa won 27-21 two years ago at Jack Trice. Other than a pair of pass interference calls, the Hawkeye secondary was solid in the opener. This will be a much bigger test.

Richardson completed 21 of 29 passes for 233 yards and two touchdowns in the opener. If Iowa is to win, the defensive line has to put pressure on Richardson and get him out of his comfort zone. And if he scrambles, the linebackers will have to keep him in check.

Iowa had five sacks in the opener and won the fight at the point of attack. New tackles Nathan Bazata and Jaleel Johnson passed the eye test. Defensive end Drew Ott is emerging as the star of this defense and is a nightmare for offensive tackles. If he shines Saturday, there’s a good chance Iowa will, too.

Iowa’s much-maligned special-teams play of a season ago didn’t really get tested in the opener. We’ll have a much better picture of their improvement after this game.

The Cyclones’ Allen Lazard returned four punts for 100 yards against UNI, and Trever Ryen returned one 81 yards for a touchdown. Watch film of Iowa’s game with Nebraska last season, and De’Mornay Pierson-El’s three punt returns for 134 yards and a touchdown, if you don’t think this is an area of concern for the Hawkeyes.

Punter Dillon Kidd averaged 47 yards on two kicks, both touchbacks. So the first punt return Iowa will have to defend will likely come Saturday.

New Kirk vs. Old Kirk

We saw two sides to Kirk Ferentz when he kicked off his 17th season as Iowa’s coach last week. He left his conservative side in the locker room in the first half, trying a fake field goal, going for it on fourth down on the first drive, bringing back the shovel pass and not leaning to the run.